Some protesters at an immigration processing center near Chicago are voicing their concerns about the involvement of Illinois State Police. They believe these officers are being used to keep demonstrators away after tense encounters with federal authorities.
The office of Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, a Democrat who opposes the Trump administration, insists that the state officers are there to ensure the safety of protesters from aggressive federal agents while safeguarding their First Amendment rights. However, some protestors argue that Illinois troopers are essentially providing cover for the Immigration and Customs Enforcement office located in Broadview.
In prior incidents, protestors have blocked entry to the ICE facility, leading federal officials to employ crowd-control techniques, like tear gas, to disperse gatherings. This past weekend, the Illinois State Police were seen pushing people back with wooden batons, organizing them behind concrete barriers intended to keep the road clear.
Protesters, including Ranell Conine, expressed confusion about the discrepancy between Pritzker’s public statements against the Trump administration and the state’s use of police to safeguard the ICE facility.
“I think (Pritzker) needs to come and witness how citizens are being treated and how our right to protest is being undermined,” she commented on Saturday.
A spokesperson for Pritzker said state authorities are not hiding behind masks in Broadview, in contrast with federal agents.
“They show their faces, they have proper identification, and they are accountable to the people of Illinois,” the spokesperson said.
The Illinois State Police are collaborating with the Cook County Sheriff’s Office and Broadview Police outside the ICE facility and have detained several protesters.
The Trump administration says demonstrators have put federal authorities in jeopardy as agents work to round up “the worst of the worst” undocumented migrants in the Chicago region.
